


Bloodfire

by elusivelover_archivist



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Drugs, Eventual Romance, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Virginity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-31
Updated: 2014-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-11 08:14:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17443214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elusivelover_archivist/pseuds/elusivelover_archivist
Summary: By Theresa KyleWhen Boba Fett captures and drugs Luke on Ord Mantell, he sets a change in motion that no one had anticipated. Least of all Han Solo...





	Bloodfire

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Cara Loup, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Elusive Lover](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Elusive_Lover_\(Star_Wars_archive\)) and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2018. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Elusive Lover’s collection profile](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/ElusiveLover).

Han wished that whoever was moaning would shut up; the sound was hurting his head. Then, slowly, it occurred to him that the moans were coming from him. He opened his eyes, and as they adjusted to the dimness, he could see he was in a dark, littered alley, lying on his belly between two large, square-shaped bins overflowing with table refuse. The ground was hard and cold, and the smell of garbage stung his nostrils.

 _What the hell_...

He tried to rise, but even that simple movement caused laserbolts to shoot through his head with a clean, cutting pain. He sank back down, muttering a Corellian curse. Someone had conked him on the head, but who? All he could remember was taking Luke to the pleasure planet of Ord Mantell, entering a brothel called the Warp Ten, having hali juice at the cantina, trying to persuade Luke to approach one of the girls sitting at the bar, and...

Then, in a rush, memory returned. Two Tertinis – a small but strong race, with purplish-blue skin and long snouts – had grabbed Luke, and began dragging him out the door. When Han had tried to stop them, someone he hadn’t seen had jumped him from behind. Although Han didn’t remember anything after that, it was logical to conclude that whoever had attacked him had knocked him out.

His mind began to work, if sluggishly. Whatever had happened, Luke wasn’t here. That meant his buddy was probably in some very deep shit right about now.

 _Got to move_.

Once again he struggled to rise. Every movement made him feel like fine needles were driving into his brain, but he gritted his teeth and somehow managed to get upright. He leaned against one of the bins and took several deep breaths, rubbing the back of his head and sincerely hoping he wouldn’t throw up.

It was only then that he thought to check for his blaster. Predictably, it was gone; however, not so predictably, he found his credit holder with all his money, plus the sentimental holo of his home planet he carried, still in his shirt pocket. Obviously, the little creeps who’d attacked him and Luke were not your ordinary robbers.

No, kidnapping, not robbery, had been their aim. Kidnapping Luke and getting Han out of the way, at least temporarily. And most likely they’d been hired by someone; Tertinis, although strong, didn’t have the brains to plan crimes of their own. But who had hired them? Darth Vader? Since the destruction of the Death Star, the Sith Lord had been obsessed with capturing Luke, or so Han had heard. But the Warp Ten was a perfectly respectable brothel; Han had checked it out carefully before bringing Luke, and he was sure it had no Imperial connections whatsoever. And Vader certainly wouldn’t have thought of looking for Luke on an obscure pleasure planet. Besides, he wouldn’t have hired Tertinis to get him; he’d have sent stormtroopers. No, it couldn’t be Vader.

That, unfortunately, left a hell of a lot of people in the galaxy to choose from. Slavers? Men who were interested in recruiting good-looking young men for their pleasure houses? Han felt ice-cold horror at the thought. He would have to find Luke – and fast.

Still wishing his head would clear, he stumbled out of the alley, into the street and towards the entrance to the Warp Ten.

* * *

"You fool!" The man in the helmet towered over the tiny Tertini, his body taut with fury. "You brought me the wrong man! I wanted Han Solo."

The Tertini’s long blue snout quivered. "But, Excellency, you told us to get the handsome young man at the bar. And here he is..."

"Yes, but the wrong one! This was the man sitting next to him." The helmeted man was seething. Hastily, the little Tertini tried to make amends.

"Forgive, Excellency, all humans look alike to me. But this one is just as handsome as the other one, and, I think, even younger. Surely he will fill your needs just as well, if not better."

The helmeted man slapped him – a hard, stinging blow. The Tertini whimpered in pain and terror. "Dolt!" the man snarled. "I don’t want Solo for any disgusting sex games. I want him because Jabba the Hutt is offering a bounty for him."

The Tertini’s dark red eyes widened. "Jabba–? I–I didn’t know, Excellency. I thought – since you were here on Ord Mantell – naturally you wanted him for your pleasures. But it won’t be too difficult to get the other man, this Solo. I threw him in the alley in the back of the bordello after the woman at the bar hit him on the head. I’ll go back..."

"Useless," the helmeted man growled. "He’s no doubt regained consciousness and is gone by now." He looked at the boy on his bed, whom the Tertini had stripped and bound to the bedposts with electronic cuffs. He, too, had been knocked out and had regained consciousness only moments before; however, he had not yet spoken, just looked at them with a cool, calm gaze. Despite the vulnerability of his position, he had a certain dignity that made the helmeted man uncomfortable. He never trusted a man who wasn’t frightened when he should be.

"What’s your name, boy?" he asked.

The boy hesitated for a second or two, then said neutrally, "Luke."

"Are you friends with Han Solo? You were with him earlier at that brothel."

Luke shrugged.

"He must have rented a room somewhere," the man persisted. "Han Solo always stays on pleasure planets for a long time. And if you’re his friend, you must know where he’s staying."

Luke still said nothing. The Tertini moved to strike him, but the helmeted man stopped him with a hand.

"Never mind him now," he said grimly. "Go back to the Warp Ten and look for Solo. Try the alley first, and if he’s not there, he’ll probably be at another bordello. Check the proprietors of every place in the area and give them a description. When you find him, bring him here. And try not to make any more mistakes."

"Yes, Excellency." The little man hurriedly left the room.

"Who are you?" the boy named Luke demanded.

"Quite inquisitive for a prisoner, aren’t you?" the man sneered. "But I see no harm in telling you my name. It is Boba Fett."

Luke paled a little. "The bounty hunter?"

The helmeted man grunted. "I prefer the term procurement specialist – but yes. I came here to Ord Mantell for, shall we say, a little vacation, when I spotted your companion at the bar at the Warp Ten. Solo would have recognized me if I’d approached him, so I hired some Tertinis to bring him here to my room while I occupied myself with other concerns. Unfortunately those idiots made a mistake by bringing you in his place – but don’t worry, I’ll rectify that error soon enough. Jabba the Hutt is offering a small fortune and a well-paying job with him in exchange for your friend Solo, and I have no intention of letting either slip through my fingers."

"You’ll never catch him," Luke said. "He’s probably left the planet by now."

Boba Fett snorted with amusement. "I am afraid not, little one. The spacedock at Ord Mantell is closed until morning – no one can leave or arrive on the planet during the hours of darkness, by order of the law. Good for trade, you know, to keep visitors on the planet overnight. No, Solo is still here; I just don’t know where." The bounty hunter’s gaze moved speculatively over Luke’s naked body. "Unless, of course, you cooperate. Tell me where Solo’s staying, and I’ll let you go – perhaps even give you a share of what Jabba the Hutt is offering for him."

Luke shook his head. "Sorry."

Boba Fett’s fists clenched in his gloves. "I would suggest you change your mind, boy," he snarled. "I can make things most unpleasant for you, should you remain unhelpful."

Luke didn’t reply. Boba Fett, after another moment’s contemplation of the boy, pushed a button on the wall. Within moments a fat man wearing a long red kimono came in.

"Give this boy a shot of sterocycin," Boba Fett ordered, indicating Luke.

The man stared at him, and Fett snapped, "Did you hear me, Boron? And don’t tell me you don’t have the drug – I know the kind of business you run here on the side."

"Yes, sir," the intimidated Boron stammered and quickly left the room, returning shortly afterwards with a long needle. Luke tried to yank away as the man jabbed it into his thigh, but the electronic cuffs binding both his hands and feet to the bed kept him immobilized. After a moment, Boron pulled the needle out.

"You’re wasting your time, Fett," Luke said, as Boron left the room. "I’m in training to be a Jedi knight. Truth drugs have no effect on me."

"Ah, but this isn’t anything so mundane as a truth drug," Fett said. "Instead it’s something which will cause you almost unendurable pain... unless a certain kind of stimulation is applied. One which I would be happy to ask one of the – ah, workers here to supply... as long as you tell me what I want to know."

"I’ll never tell you anything," Luke said.

"I wouldn’t be too sure of that if I were you," Fett said. "Now, since the drug takes awhile to work, I’ll leave and go help those dolts look for Solo. When I return, perhaps you will be more in the mood for chatter." Something that might have been a chuckle emerged from the helmet; then, abruptly, he turned on his heel and left the room.

* * *

Walking into the cantina portion of the Warp Ten, Han found it almost deserted except for a few unconscious creatures – humanoid and non-humanoid – snoring in the booths, sleeping off the effects of their hali juice or love drugs. Han glanced at them, but saw no Tertinis. It figured; the Tertinis who’d taken Luke would know enough to be long gone.

He strode up to the bar, but found no one there. There was a door behind one of the drink dispensers, however, that looked promising. He tried it, and when he found it locked, he rammed it open with his shoulder, not in the mood for niceties.

It opened into a small room with pink curtains and padded furniture – obviously a woman’s room. In one corner, a girl was feeding a potted jerisi plant some green liquid from a horn-like container. Even though she was no longer wearing her uniform but a clingy pink thing that showed every one of her curves, Han recognized her as the girl who had waited on himself and Luke at the bar.

He managed a crooked grin. "Hi there, sweetheart," he greeted her.

She looked up and gasped at the sight of him. Then, as quickly as a Mynock, she grabbed a blaster off the counter behind her and pointed it at him.

"That blaster looks awfully familiar to me," Han drawled. "I wonder why. Maybe you lifted it from me after I was knocked out – in fact, I’d lay odds you were the one who hit me from behind in the first place." He took a few steps toward her, holding out his hand. "Okay, sweetheart. Give it here."

"You take one more step and I’ll shoot." The girl’s voice was shaking.

"Oh, I don’t think so," Han said. "Y’see, there’s a secret safety catch on my blaster – only I know where it is. You shoot it and it won’t fire – not with the safety on." He walked toward her, and the girl, her eyes showing her uncertainty, backed up against the wall.

"I’ll scream," she threatened, her voice shaking all the more.

"Go ahead. No one’s in the other room but a bunch of sleeping drunks."

The girl opened her mouth but closed it again, obviously realizing the truth of his assertion. Smoothly, Han reached out and grabbed his blaster, then grinned at the barmaid again as he pointed it at her. "Now," he said evenly, "where’s my friend? The one who came into your lovely establishment with me."

"You wouldn’t dare shoot a woman!"

"I wouldn’t like to," Han agreed. "Which is why I’ll give you exactly five seconds to answer. Who took my friend, and where?"

"I – it was some Tertinis."

"Yeah, I kinda guessed they were Tertinis by their blue skin and ugly faces. But who were they?"

The girl, still terrified, kept her eyes on his blaster as if trying to will him not to fire.

"Come on, sister! Out with it."

"They – they work for me occasionally. Just as bouncers," she added quickly. "You know, sometimes our clientele is a little rowdy, and Tertinis can be formidable in spite of their size. Anyway, earlier this evening a man approached me and said he’d spotted a wanted criminal in my place and needed some help apprehending him, so I recommended the Tertinis."

"How much money did he give you?" Han growled. "Never mind, don’t bother to answer that. Who was the man who hired them?"

"He said his name was Boba Fett."

"Boba Fett!" Han had met the bounty hunter and knew that he frequently did work for Jabba the Hutt. _Oh, shit! They mistook Luke for me!_ His pulse quickening, he demanded, "Where did the Tertinis take him? Where’s Fett?"

"I don’t know. But there is a place, not far from here, where he usually stays when he’s on the planet. It’s a hostel run by a man named Boron. The Tertinis might have taken your friend there. But you’ll never get in, even with a blaster – Fett will kill you the moment he sees you. He’s a ruthless man."

"What’s this place called?"

"It’s called The Black Hole."

Han frowned. "The Black Hole? Isn’t that a place for men who like little boys?"

"Yes," she agreed reluctantly, "but not officially. Officially it’s just a hostel."

"Officially, huh? I’ll try to remember that. Okay, sweetheart, you’ve been really helpful. I just hope, for your sake, that you’ve been telling me the truth."

"I have!" she protested.

"Well, like I said, I hope so. Because I’d hate to have to come back here and blast that pretty face." A quick look around the apartment and he found what he was looking for – an antechamber. Checking it, he saw there was no window, no comlink, and only one door. He waved his blaster toward it. "In you go."

"What – what are you going to do?" she quavered.

"I’m just making sure you don’t try to warn any of your friends about my incipient arrival. If you’re lying, I’ll come back and deal with you. But if it turns out you were telling the truth, all that’ll happen will be that you spend the night sleeping on the floor. And tomorrow morning, if you holler your head off, someone’ll probably hear you and rescue you. Who knows, he might even be handsome and rich." He waved his blaster again, and the barmaid, obviously seeing that pleading would be pointless, walked into the room. Han closed the door behind her and blasted the lock, effectively sealing it shut.

Now to find Luke.

 

As he hurried toward The Black Hole – staying in the shadows and out of sight, since he’d noticed at least one Tertini on the street – Han’s worry increased. He didn’t see a chronometer, but it was obvious by the lessened traffic that it was very late. That meant he’d been unconscious for a long time. Which also meant that Luke had been in the hands of those Tertinis, and Boba Fett, for a long time, maybe too long.

What would happen when it was discovered that they’d kidnapped the wrong man? Would Fett kill him? The more Han thought about it, the more likely that seemed.

_Damnit! Why the hell did I bring Luke here in the first place?_

Unwillingly, he remembered why.

They’d been working out together, using semisabers – not lightsabers, which were too dangerous for non-droid practice combat, but semis with foiled tips. Han had to admit the kid was pretty good for a farm boy who’d never hefted anything but harvesting equipment for most of his life. In fact, although he wasn’t about to admit it, he was starting to wonder if there was something to this Force stuff after all.

Finally, Han had called for a break.

"Winded?" Luke teased him.

Han glared at him. "No, but only a fool tires himself out while he’s practicing, kid. You’ve got to learn not to overdo things – especially when you’re just starting out."

"For someone who’s just starting out, I seem to be beating you pretty often." Luke grinned, but sat down beside Han on the bench, panting a little, but not, Han noted, as much as he should have been. The kid was in real good shape. "Okay, we’ll take a break," he conceded, and then added, "At least for a couple of minutes."

Han felt a trace of amusement – coupled, oddly, with a strange sadness. Luke was so eager, so passionate about whatever he choose to do. A lot like Han had once been, in the old days when he’d captained a starship for the Empire – before a nasty experience had taught him to trust no one and nothing but a blaster and a large credit balance.

Quashing that particular train of thought, Han said, "I hear Her Worship is planning on our leaving! Massassi soon. To go to a planet called Hoth."

"Yeah, I know."

"You do?"

"Uh-huh. As a matter of fact, it was my idea. The Imperial forces have been getting too close lately, and Hoth is nice and remote."

Han thought, _I might’ve known_. Although technically Princess Leia still led the Rebels, Luke had been thought of by everyone as a kind of inofficial leader ever since he’d destroyed the Death Star.

"How’d you find out?" Luke asked.

"Chewie. Wookiees have good ears – and they’re also incorrigible gossips. He heard Her Worship talking to General Rieekan about the move."

"Are you coming with us when we go?" Luke asked.

Han shrugged. "I guess so. ‘Least until I can think of a way to get to Jabba the Hutt to pay off the money I owe him without getting blasted first."

After a pause, Luke said, "It’s because of Leia, isn’t it?"

"What?"

"You’re in love with Leia. That’s why you stick around."

Han snorted. "Know one thing about me, kid – I haven’t said, or even thought, the word ‘love’ for a long, long time. When a man thinks he’s in love, trouble starts."

Luke’s blue eyes probed his. "Someone hurt you, didn’t they?" he guessed softly.

Han shifted uncomfortably. Blast this kid – Han swore he could look through walls at times. "You’re a romantic, junior. Let’s just say that when I was about your age, I learned my lesson, okay?"

"Okay." Another pause. "What’s it like, Han?"

"What’s what like?"

"Being in love."

Ordinarily, Han would’ve ignored or sneered at such a question. But for some reason, he decided to answer Luke – not just because he liked the kid, but because he sensed Luke’s need for a close friend. After all, he’d been pretty isolated on Tatooine after his friends had gone off to the Academy, leaving him alone with nobody but his taciturn uncle and aunt and a few droids. And, hell, he and Luke _were_ friends – surprisingly enough, considering the differences of their backgrounds. In fact, Han thought of Luke as one of the best friends he’d ever had – even better than Lando, whom he’d liked but never really trusted.

"I guess you could say love is like a madness," he said finally. "A real crazy madness – so crazy you can’t think straight. You walk around in a daze and never hear what people are saying to you, or a guy can come up and hit you and you never even feel it. Or maybe it’s like being on dope – you ever try a drug called Bliss?"

"No."

"No, I guess they don’t have stuff like that on Tatooine. Anyway, it’s one of those drugs that heightens all the senses – makes colors look brighter, for instance. Love is like that."

Luke sighed. "It sounds wonderful. I’ve never... I’ve never been in love with anybody. I’ve never even..." He broke off, looking embarrassed.

Han was amused. "Been with a girl?" he supplied. "Well, you will, junior. Take it from me."

Luke consciously lowered his voice. "Is it wonderful, Han? Lovemaking?"

Han debated how to reply. After years of roaming the galaxy and doing it in almost every conceivable position with almost every conceivable partner, he’d started to think about sex as more of a necessary release than an actual pleasure; but it wouldn’t do to disillusion this kid, so eager to experience all that life had to offer, with his jaded opinions. "Tell you what," he suggested. "There’s a pleasure planet called Ord Mantell, not far from here. Before we move to Hoth we’ll go there in the Falcon, and you can see for yourself what it’s all about. How’s that?"

Luke’s blue eyes lit up. "You’d do that for me?"

Han grinned. "Hey, I could use a rest myself. Sitting on this rock with only myself to play with gets boring after awhile." He grinned wider as Luke flushed, and stood up. "Come on, kid, let’s go another round."

And so Han had brought Luke to Ord Mantell to experience the delights of one of the best bordellos in the galaxy – stupidly not even considering the fact that there might be bounty hunters around. And if anything happened to the kid because of him...

He tried to cut off that line of thought and quickened his pace.

* * *

The Black Hole was dark and forbidding like a bird of prey – a black, squat stone hulk with no windows, only one door, and the one sign in front, stating the name of the establishment in five different languages, its only ornamentation. It appeared completely deserted.

Could that barmaid have been lying?

 _If she was, she’s gonna wish she was never born_.

Han tucked his blaster out of sight under his shirt and walked into the grim-looking building. The proprietor, a fat humanoid, looked up from a pornographic game he’d been playing on his computer and said unctuously, "Welcome, sir; my name is Boron. How may I assist?"

Quickly Han sized him up. A sleazeball, most likely, but not adventurous; not the type to be in league with Boba Fett, or in fact in league with anyone but himself. Ten to one he didn’t even know what Fett was up to and didn’t care. But not someone who would melt at the sight of a drawn blaster either; there was a definitive trace of hardness behind the flabby facade. It seemed that subtlety would be Solo’s best bet.

Han smiled, although his face muscles felt as if they’d been fused by a laserblast. "I’m looking for a... a boy," he said, trying to look eager and, at the same time, sheepish. "A good-looking boy. Someone to – spend some time with. You know."

"Sir, I fear you have been misinformed," the man said smoothly. "This is a hostel, nothing more. Sex with children is illegal on Ord Mantell."

Han shrugged. "I was recommended to this place by the barmaid at the Warp Ten."

Boron’s face changed; obviously that was the right thing to say. After a moment he asked respectfully, "Is there any specific type of boy you desire, sir?"

"Yeah, I’m real fussy. I like ‘em about twenty, not too tall, blond, blue-eyed, and a dimple in his chin. Oh – and I prefer boys from Tatooine. Do you have anybody here like that?"

Boron’s face went blank, and Han realized that he’d described Luke a little too well; maybe the fat man suspected a trap. Well, there was one way to get him to respond. Han took out his credit holder and extracted several coins.

"Come on," he coaxed. "Surely in a big, fine place like this – one known all over the galaxy – you must have one boy who meets those requirements."

The hostel owner’s eyes widened. He made no move to pick up the coins, however; either he was very greedy or very afraid of Boba Fett – or both. Han added a few more credits to the pile.

"I suppose... it’s possible we might have a boy like that," Boron said warily. "Perhaps."

With an inward sigh, Han added the rest of his coins to the pile – using the last of what he’d hoped would be spent on a pleasure-filled vacation for himself and Luke. "Come on, have a heart," he pleaded. "I’ve been in space a long time."

After a few more moments of hesitation – long, agonizing moments to Solo – the fat man picked up the coins and tucked them away in his bulky kimono. "Well... there is a boy like that upstairs," he admitted, his voice a confidential whisper. "He was brought in by two Tertinis some time ago as a guest for another Gentleman. But the Gentleman who rented the room just left a short time ago. You can have the boy all to yourself until he returns."

Han’s heart pounded. "What room?" he asked.

"Up the stairs, first door on your left."

"Thanks."

Not expecting luck to be on his side nor any kind of veracity from this slimy place’s disgusting proprietor, Han was almost shocked when he pushed the button for the first door on the left upstairs and saw Luke lying there on the bed – trussed up and naked, but unharmed. And, Han noted to his further relief, alone.

"Han!" Luke cried. "Thank the Force you’re all right. Look, the bounty hunter Boba Fett is behind this... his men thought I was you..."

"Yeah, I know." Han tugged on the binders on Luke’s hands and feet and, finding them unmovable, promptly shot both pairs to bits with his blaster. Freed, Luke sat up, rubbing his chafed wrists.

"Where are your clothes?" Han asked.

"I don’t know. I guess they took them off me while I was unconscious."

"Terrific," Han said sarcastically. "Even though this is Ord Mantell, a naked man on the street might draw some attention. Guess you’re going to have to wrap yourself in one of these blankets – unless you want my shirt."

"I’ll take your shirt, if you don’t mind – these blankets stink."

"Bounty hunters do have a distinct odor, don’t they?" Han agreed and, pulling off his shirt, handed it over. Luke hastily pulled it on, and Han was grateful to see that it was just long enough to cover the essential parts. "Cute," he remarked. "Maybe you’ll start a fashion craze."

"I’d rather just get out of here," Luke said.

"Yeah, me too. Where’s Fett? The guy downstairs said he was out."

Luke nodded. "He was right, he is out – looking for you at all the local brothels."

Han grunted. "Guess there’s some advantage to having a bad reputation. Okay, let’s go."

Holding his blaster ready and cocked to fire, he headed for the door, Luke following. After a careful look out and finding the hall clear, he whispered to Luke, "You go first. I’ll cover you."

Luke nodded and headed for the stairs. Han, watching him, couldn’t help but think, with some admiration, that whatever else you could say about the kid, he was sure as hell good to have nearby when you were in a tight spot. He never lost his head and he followed orders without a lot of shilly-shallying around.

Blaster ready, trying to watch all of the doors in the long hallway at once, Han noiselessly followed his friend down the stairs. Boron, he noticed, had left his desk, which was just as well; Han didn’t like him, but neither did he like the idea of blasting an unarmed man just to keep him from asking awkward questions. He did have a _few_ principles.

"Okay, where to now?" Luke said, after they’d sought refuge in a deserted alley.

Han watched as several women of pleasure – at least, he assumed they were female, although on Ord Mantell it was hard to tell – walked by, fluttering their feathery robes. "Well, we can’t go back to the room we rented," he said. "Boba Fett might start checking the local hostels. And unfortunately, we can’t go to the Falcon – the spacedock on Ord Mantell is locked up after hours."

"I know, Fett mentioned that. But we can’t stay on the street either," Luke objected. "Fett and those Tertinis are out looking for you – and pretty soon it’ll probably be for both of us."

"Yeah, I know. We need to take cover somewhere." Han glanced at the street again and saw a few more ladies pass by – these were wearing nothing but glittery red sequins glued on their bodies. _Nice_ , he thought.

Luke brought his mind back to the subject at hand. "So where are we going to go to lay low until morning, Han?" he asked impatiently. "You’ve been here before – I haven’t."

"I don’t know, kid. I don’t have any money to rent us another room, I used it all on a bribe to get to you."

"And I don’t have any either, my money was with my clothes. Do you have any friends here?" Luke asked. "Someone we could stay with without paying?"

Han brightened. "Kid, there ain’t many planets where I don’t have friends. Especially female friends." He tried to think of someone he knew who lived nearby – and then he did. He started towards the street. "C’mon, kid," he said. "Follow me... and try to look inconspicuous."

"In this outfit, that won’t be easy," Luke said wryly. "I wish this shirt of yours was just a little bit longer."

Han grinned. "Don’t worry. This is Ord Mantell. Weird outfits fit right in."

* * *

They hadn’t traveled very far when Han noticed that Luke seemed to have trouble walking, and that several times a look of distress crossed his face, almost one of pain.

"Luke, what happened? Are you hurt?" he asked. Then, remembering where Luke had been – a same-sex pleasure house – he felt cold fear squeeze his heart. "Did any of those bastards who kidnapped you..." – he refused to say the word _rape_ , but he thought it – "...hurt you?"

Luke shook his head. "N-no," he said. He made a visible effort to smile reassuringly. "All they did was give me a drug. Something Boba Fett called sterocycin."

Han frowned. Sterocycin – a word that meant, literally, "bloodfire" – was a highly potent and illegal aphrodisiac, but that was all he knew about it. Then he remembered he’d seen a guy take it once – a memory which was not particularly pleasant. He could still remember the man’s moans of agony.

Luke read his face. "Han, do you know what that is?" he asked. "I feel kind of... strange."

"It’s – an aphrodisiac," Han said reluctantly. "Illegal, but it occasionally shows up, especially on sleazy planets like this."

Luke relaxed, even looked a little embarrassed. "An aphrodisiac? Is that all?"

"Yeah, that’s all. Why’d they give you that stuff anyway?"

"To make me talk. Tell Boba Fett where you were. He said it would give me unbearable pain."

Han tried to conceal his concern. "And has it?" he asked.

"No. Well, just a little. Mainly in my..." He stopped, flushing.

"Yeah," Han said sympathetically. "Well, d’you think you can make the rest of the way okay? We really should hurry. I don’t trust this planet – and Boba Fett could have hirelings everywhere."

"Sure. I’m fine."

Han, his eye on each of the dark buildings they passed, kept his blaster cocked until they finally reached the place he’d been looking for – a small, round structure, half-hidden by some large, leafy fruit trees. He walked up to the door, thrust his palm against the plate so that the scanner could read his print, and within seconds the door opened, revealing a dark interior.

Luke walked in first, and Han, after one final look down the street assured that no one was following them, entered behind him. Closing the door, he pressed a button next to it which brought on the lights. "The light control also activates the lock system," he told Luke. "We’re safe – for the night anyway."

"Looks like there’s no one home," Luke said, glancing around the small living area sparsely furnished with a few lounges, a computer on a stand, and some hanging ornaments.

"Yeah, I figured she might be out. Marimi sold her business and retired awhile ago, and ever since then she’s used her free time to travel a lot. Can’t blame her – Ord Mantell is an okay place to visit, but a crappy place to live."

Luke raised both eyebrows. "Marimi?"

"Yeah, she’s a lady I met a long time ago. I saved her life in a bar fight, or at least she thought I did, and after that she programmed her door lock to give me clearance anytime I wanted to visit her."

"Sounds like a really good friend," Luke said drily.

Han grinned at Luke’s implication. "Yeah, she’s okay. Maybe she doesn’t have a spotless background – most women on Ord Mantell don’t – but she’s okay."

"Leia always says you have a girl on every planet." Luke tried to sound cheerful, but Han noticed, with some alarm, that his friend could no longer hide his distress – and his erection, which looked hard and painfully swollen under the thin shirt he was wearing.

Luke, seeing the direction of Han’s gaze, looked embarrassed. "Guess they gave me a big dose of that stuff," he mumbled.

Han tried to fight down his apprehension. "Yeah, well, sterocycin’s pretty potent, like I said."

"Do you know anything about it?" Luke asked.

"Not much, except like I said it’s an aphrodisiac... a really powerful one. I’ve never tried it myself – Corellians don’t need that stuff – but I’ve heard about it and I’ve seen it work. One time when I was visiting a pleasure house on Kessel... well, one of the guys there tried it."

Luke tensed a little, obviously sensing Han’s anxiety. "What does it do?" he asked.

Han tried to think of a delicate way to put it. "Well, basically, it delays orgasm," he said. "It makes you horny, like all love drugs, but it also desensitizes the sexual organs and makes it hard to reach a climax. Believe it or not, there are some damned fools who find that pleasurable. It took three women and several hours before that guy finally got off. It’s my guess Boba Fett thought you’d be so hot after a dose of that stuff that you’d tell him anything he wanted in order to get relief."

"I might have, at that," Luke said wryly. His attempt at humor didn’t quite come off. Maybe because he had started to tremble a little, and, Han couldn’t help but notice, his erection was getting more and more rigid by the moment.

"You going to be okay?" He knew that was a stupid thing to say – it was obvious Luke was not okay – but he couldn’t help asking anyway.

Luke attempted a smile. "Yeah, fine. I can ride it out. It’s not so bad." He tried to pull the thin shirt down, to cover himself. "It’s just kind of... embarrassing."

Han laid a comforting hand on his arm. "Hey, Luke, it’s nothing to be ashamed of," he said. "It’s just the drug – not you." He tried to think of something reassuring, but couldn’t. He’d never heard of an antidote for bloodfire, and even if there was one, he didn’t know where he could find it. And, after all, the drug wasn’t fatal; just uncomfortable. "Look," he suggested, "we’re stuck here until morning anyway. Why don’t you go try to get some sleep?"

Luke nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, I guess that’s a good idea." He glanced around. "Where’s the bed?"

"In here." Han pushed a button and a door slid open, revealing a tiny chamber with a large, cushion-covered slab in one corner. "And you can have it all to yourself, I’m going to stay up tonight, maybe play with Marimi’s computer. She always has the latest programs." He didn’t add that he wanted to stay awake to keep an eye out for Boba Fett and his men. Chances were slim that Fett would find out where he and Luke were staying, but experience had taught Han that you should never take odds too seriously, even when they were in your favor. "Sleep well, kid."

"Yeah." Luke walked into the bedroom, moving as if every step hurt him, while Han watched and tried not to worry.

* * *

" _Damnit_!"

Han switched off the computer viciously and would have uttered even more violent curses, but he didn’t want to disturb Luke.

He’d just run the name sterocycin through the computer encyclopedia; he’d thought the infobanks might mention an antidote or a suggested treatment. They hadn’t. But what the computer had told him about the drug struck terror into his heart.

He had a strong, completely illogical temptation to find that slimeball Boba Fett and beat the shit out of him. Of course, that wouldn’t help Luke at all, but it would make Han feel better.

According to the computer, sterocycin was, just as Han had told Luke, a powerful male aphrodisiac. And, also as he had told Luke, it desensitized the primary erogenous zones – which made it impossible to achieve orgasm through masturbation. Some people actually took the drug voluntarily – for those who didn’t want their romantic evenings to end too quickly, it could prolong the onset of orgasm for several hours – but it was also used as a form of rape, usually on unsuspecting young males by older men with perverted tastes, which was probably why it was illegal. That and the fact that it caused such acute sexual desire as to be quite painful, Han had already known.

But one thing he hadn’t known before was that the drug also had an unpleasant side effect. If the taker of the drug did not achieve release within a certain amount of time – a time which varied with each individual – the unrelieved pressure caused significant damage to the structures of the penis and seminal vesicles. Damage that brought about a permanent loss of ability to ever have another erection.

Han remembered Luke looking at him with his clear blue eyes, admitting that he’d never had sex and then asking, wistfully, if it was ‘wonderful’. Now, because of Han, because he’d brought Luke to Ord Mantell, because some bounty hunter’s minions had mistaken him for Han, because Boba Fett was a slime... Luke might never know what lovemaking was.

Han stared at the blank computer screen, his mind working at double-speed, but coming back to the same conclusion each time.

Finally, deliberately, he stood up and headed toward the bedroom.

As he did so he considered, with detached amusement, the irony that Han Solo – rogue of the galaxy, smuggler, renegade and self-admitted scoundrel – was about to offer himself up as a sacrifice.

And not even for money. For friendship. 

He found Luke lying on the bed, curled up in a fetal position and struggling not to cry. He was naked now, and his swollen, rigid erection was pressing tight against his belly. He was obviously in dire pain.

"Luke..." Han swiftly sat down on the bed and clasped his arm – and felt the heat of his friend’s body. "Damnit, Luke, why didn’t you call me?"

Luke averted his face, and Han realized with a stab of compassion that his friend was so humiliated by his condition that he couldn’t look at him. "It’s... not that bad," he mumbled and moved his legs up even tighter to his chest in an attempt to hide his tumescent state.

"Hey, you don’t have to do that," Han assured him gently. "I’ve seen ‘em before, y’know. Lots of times." He squeezed Luke’s arm again and felt – or maybe only hoped he felt – Luke’s body relax a little under the reassuring touch. "Luke, this is no time for prudery, okay? We’re friends, and friends help each other. So tell me – have you tried to get off? Masturbate?"

Luke nodded miserably. "I... tried," he murmured. "It didn’t... all it did was get harder."

"Yeah, that’s what I figured. It’s the effect of the drug. I just read about it. Direct stimulation just makes the symptoms worse. According to the infobanks, the only way you’re going to be able to get off is indirect stimulation – stimulation of secondary erogenous zones."

Luke looked up at him. "W-what does that mean?" he whispered.

Han met his friend’s gaze, hoping he didn’t look as nervous as he felt. "The body has a lot of erogenous zones besides the genitals," he explained. "You might’ve noticed you can get excited just by having the inside of your thighs stroked, or your butt, or even weird places like the soles of your feet or under your arms. But that kind of stimulation you can’t do yourself. Some of the secondary erogenous zones you couldn’t even reach yourself – at least not easily. You’re going to need help." He paused. "And right now I’m the only help around."

Luke stared at him as the words belatedly sank in. And his eyes reflected something Han could not remember having seen there before: fear. Involuntarily, he shook his head, trembling again. "No, Han..."

"Hey, I know I’m not the date of your dreams, kid, and I sure as hell wish there was someone else you could share your first time with, believe me. But we don’t have any choice. Neither of us have any money to buy a woman of pleasure, even if we wanted to risk running into Boba Fett by going out again. And we can’t leave the planet until morning – which might be too late."

"Too late?"

"Yeah. I just read about that stuff. If you don’t get release pretty quickly after the drug starts to take effect, the pressure could damage you internally. And permanently." Han purposely didn’t go into details and hoped Luke wouldn’t ask him for them; they were too gruesome. "But being with me won’t be so bad. At least you’ll know that I know what I’m doing; not to brag, but I’ve been around. Hell, I’ve been with probably every sex and species in the galaxy, and then some. I know I could satisfy you."

Luke closed his eyes. "No," he whispered again.

Han frowned, trying to remember if Tatooine had any weird moral rules against sexual activity between partners of the same sex. He supposed it was possible; Tatooine wasn’t the most advanced civilization in the galaxy. "Luke, maybe you’ve been brought up to believe sex between two guys is wrong," he ventured, "but nobody has to know about this but us. And no one would ask you to allow yourself to be permanently damaged just for a principle."

"No, it’s not that." Luke didn’t open his eyes. "I just don’t want you to be... disgusted with me."

"Ah, Luke." Han didn’t know whether to laugh or get exasperated. "How could I ever be disgusted with you, huh? You’re my best friend."

Luke opened his eyes. "I’m your best friend?"

"Uh-huh. You didn’t know that?"

Luke shook his head. "I’ve never ... had a best friend before." A pause. "All... all right," he capitulated finally. "I guess it’s the only way. But I... I’m sorry, Han. I know this won’t be... pleasant for you."

Han felt an unaccustomed lump in his throat. _He’s in all this pain, and still he’s feeling sorry for me_... But he forced his voice to come out sounding jaunty. "Nothing to be sorry about, kid. I told you, this is something I’m an expert at."

He stood, stripping off his holster and boots, then his pants, with quick efficiency while Luke, half-hopefully, half-fearfully, watched. He obviously wasn’t happy about what was going to transpire, but, at the same time, he trusted Han enough to accept that this was necessary.

"This is gonna be okay, Luke," Han said. "Just try and relax, huh?"

"Relax!" Luke echoed sarcastically, but obediently he turned over onto his back. His penis, still lying rigid against his belly, was so swollen it looked ready to burst.

Seeing that beautiful, perspiration-sheened body lying there on the soft cushions, ripe and ready for him, gave Han a sudden and completely unexpected response – a hard, pulsating erection of his own. Aghast at his inadvertent reaction, he tried to calm himself. _This is for Luke. Not you. You’re helping him, that’s all – the same way you’d help Chewie if he were hurt. This is no time to think with your glands, damnit!_

Still trying to will his pounding heart to slow up a little, Han moved into bed next to Luke. _Secondary erogenous zones_ , he thought. _Concentrate on secondary erogenous zones_.

Well, he could think of one secondary erogenous zone right away – the lips. He pulled Luke into his arms and kissed him.

He felt Luke freeze in surprise – then the younger man was kissing him back, shyly, awkwardly, but a definite kiss. Han probed his mouth with his tongue, licking and caressing the inside of Luke’s mouth. Luke moaned, and Han, alarmed as he realized it was not a moan of desire, pulled back to look at him.

"Luke? What is it?"

Luke was struggling against tears again. "I’m sorry, Han. It’s just that... it hurts."

Han felt a rush of compassion. "I know, kid," he said softly. "And it’s going to feel worse before it feels any better, since so much time has passed – but we’ll make it okay.

"Where do you like to be touched?" he asked, his hands skating over Luke’s body, stroking his back, his thighs, his butt. "I mean, is there anything in particular you like?"

"I... I don’t know," Luke admitted miserably. "I – I had a girlfriend one summer – her parents were staying at a resort at Anchorhead – but we didn’t do very much besides kiss. Once I touched her... her breasts, but that’s all."

 _Terrific. The most inexperienced virgin in the galaxy – and I get him_. Han, however, refrained from speaking his thoughts aloud. "Ah, well, don’t worry, kid," he said. "We’ll find your pleasure spots now, together. Trust me?"

"Of course." Luke spoke the words with the utmost confidence despite his obvious discomfort.

"Good. Now you’ve got to help me here. Tell me what you need – what feels good. That is, if something I do excites you, feels really good, tell me – and if it doesn’t, you tell me that too. Don’t worry about hurting my feelings, okay?"

Luke nodded. "Okay." He held Han a little tighter, and Han could feel the hard penis, turgid and insistent, poking his belly. The contact sent a laserblast of electricity through his body. He bit his lip – damnit, he was _not_ going to lose his head!

He tried to think, to remember what he knew about erogenous zones. It had been awhile since he’d done it with a man, and usually it’d happened only when he was drunk, nonetheless, after a second or two he remembered. Of course, how could he have forgotten a man’s major erogenous zone, besides the penis and testicles? He moved his hands to Luke’s butt; then, gently, he moved a finger between the cheeks. Luke closed his eyes, and Han felt his friend’s penis, pressed against his belly, stiffen even more.

"Does that feel good?" Han murmured.

Luke nodded, shakily. "Yes," he said, the word almost a moan. "Oh, Han..."

"Shhh. Relax." Slowly he caressed with his finger, then moved it inside. Luke’s eyes shot open.

"Han..." His voice showed, even in that one word, his obvious apprehension.

"I know, Luke," Han said. "But this’s the only way. I’m going to have to stimulate your prostate gland – that’s our best bet, since it’s a major secondary erogenous zone for humanoid males. And I can’t stimulate you enough with just my finger; I’m going to have to go inside you. You know what I mean?"

Luke swallowed, but nodded.

 _Shit, he looks scared to death_. "It’s no big deal, Luke, honest," Han assured. "Guys do this to each other all the time. I’ll try not to make it hurt too much, but you’ve got to let me try, okay?"

"O-okay," Luke said.

Han wished his friend wouldn’t look so much like an animal being led to slaughter. Well, at least he could try to make this as painless as possible. He was going to need something, a lubricant. Getting up, he searched through a drawer next to the bed until he found what he was looking for: ‘LOVE-LUBE’. Marimi was no longer in ‘the profession’, but he was relieved to discover that she still kept a lot of the necessary tools of the trade. Hastily, he squeezed out a credit-sized dollop of the gel and applied it to his now-rigid penis.

Glancing over at Luke, he saw that his friend’s eyes were tightly shut, as if he were bracing himself for something unbearable.

_Shit, he’s really hating this. And who can blame him? His first time... and I’m stealing it from him._

As if catching his thoughts, Luke’s eyes opened and he attempted to smile at Han – a show of bravado that caught at Han’s heart. "What are you waiting for?" he asked, his voice revealing only a slight quaver.

Han tried to smile back. "Just wondering if you’d fallen asleep on me," he said and quickly lay down next to Luke again. "You’re going to have to turn over on your belly," he instructed. "It’s too difficult face-to-face when it’s your first time."

Luke nodded and rolled so that he was bottom up. Han, seeing the firm, round butt, felt his excitement quicken once again. Involuntarily came the thought: _So beautiful_...

He kissed one round, firm cheek – an apologetic, friendly caress – and then, lubricating a finger, probed tentatively. Luke gasped and moaned, his body trembling with obvious pleasure.

"That... feels good," he said, sounding surprised.

"Yeah?" Han said, encouraged. "That’s a good sign. Maybe this’ll be enough to get you off then."

He put more lubricant on his penis, then more on Luke’s butt; he wasn’t going to hurt Luke any more than he could help. At least getting excited wasn’t going to he a problem, he thought with some humor as he looked down at himself. His cock was standing straight up, hard and pulsating – in fact, it hit him that he was going to go off in a second if he wasn’t careful. He took several deep breaths, trying to calm down. _Imagine you’re doing it with Chewie_. He almost smiled at the thought and, to his relief, his white-hot urgency lessened infinitesimally.

That done, he busied himself with mechanics. He put some wipes from the bedside drawer within easy reach – he didn’t want to mess up Marimi’s soft cushions any more than necessary. Then he propped a cushion under Luke’s belly to get the right angle.

"Comfortable?" he asked.

Luke nodded. "Yeah," he mumbled.

Gently, Han moved on top of him. Luke tensed at the contact, and impulsively Han kissed him on the forehead.

"It’ll be okay, Luke," he said softly. "Just trust me. I’ve done this before." _Only once, and that was when I was drunk, but what the hell_.

"I know," Luke murmured, and once again, Han felt his friend relax a little against him. "Go ahead," he said, his voice muffled by the cushion he had half-buried his face in. "It... can’t hurt more than it does already."

Han kissed him again. Then he parted the cheeks and pushed in.

Luke gasped, but didn’t pull away. He pushed up, and Han felt himself go in a little farther. It felt so glorious he almost passed out. _So tight_...

"Han," Luke whispered. He clutched the cushions, panting; sweat rolling down his face as Han continued to shove with firm, even strokes. "Oh, Han..."

"Feel good?" Han murmured.

"It feels great," Luke whispered.

Han kept on thrusting – ramming – his whole body winding up tighter and tighter. And Luke kept moaning, kept panting, kept meeting his thrusts.

"Luke," Han heard himself whisper from somewhere outside himself. He couldn’t stop ramming; the need inside him drove him to higher and higher levels of insanity. He was no longer concerned with hurting his friend – he was beyond all thought save that of thrusting harder and harder, faster and faster – impaling himself in the sweet, delicious flesh. And Luke’s moans, his counterpoint thrusts only incensed him further, driving him to an even greater madness.

Incredible. This was Luke, his best friend, but he was also a hot piece of ass that Han wanted only to screw right into the mattress. He, Han Solo, intergalactic adventurer, was being conquered by a virgin farm boy from Tatooine.

And he’d never experienced anything more wonderful in his life.

Then, after what seemed like an eternity of hot, hard thrusting, Luke cried out – a sharp, primal cry of triumph – as he shook in a paroxysm of orgasm. He cried out again and again, his body rocking helplessly over and over.

Then he collapsed, panting in deep, sobbing breaths. Han, who was still hard, stopped moving, afraid of hurting Luke any further, but the urgent need to continue was pounding in his brain. "Luke," he whispered. "Luke? You okay?"

Distantly, Luke nodded. His eyes opened. "Fine," he croaked.

"Luke... do you mind if I keep on?" Han was holding himself back by a thread. "I – I don’t want to hurt you, but this’s killing me..."

"‘S okay. Go ahead," Luke mumbled. He sounded exhausted.

Han started to thrust once more, promptly losing himself in Luke’s body all over again. He buried his face in the soft, perspiration-damp hair, kissed the fragrant gold strands. Inhaled the rich, male scents of him.

He felt as if his brain were unraveling. _So hot... so tight_...

He shoved harder now, ramming with increasingly urgent, brutal movements of force, taking what he wanted. And Luke moved with him, meeting him as if the two of them were one person. Letting out soft moans as Han fucked him senseless —

"Han," Luke whispered.

The sound of his name, spoken so softly, so tenderly, promptly pushed Han over the edge. He let out a harsh moan and came, his body spasming.

And, even in his ecstasy, he was aware of Luke trembling under him once again as he reached a second orgasm.

An absurd thought, seemingly from nowhere, crossed Han’s mind: _And I always thought Paradise was a myth_...

After an eternity or two had passed, he heard Luke’s voice near his ear. "Han?"

Han opened his eyes and looked at him through a daze. At some point, he realized, he had pulled out – but when? "Yeah?" he rasped.

"I... I think it worked. I think... I’m okay now." Luke looked embarrassed. "Thank you," he murmured, his voice a little shaky.

"Anytime." The word was meant to be flippant, but didn’t quite make it. Han felt pretty shaky himself – and not just from the aftereffects of passion.

Luke rolled onto his side, and Han looked down at his penis, which was, just as Luke had said, almost completely flaccid. "You really think you’re okay?" Han asked.

"Yeah, I do. It doesn’t... hurt anymore."

Han tried to smile. "As Threepio would say, thank the Maker." He reached for the wipes to clean the both of them, and Luke helped him with trembling hands. He looked as wrecked as Han felt.

Finishing the cleanup, Han moved back against Luke again, pulling him into his arms. His body ached with exhaustion, but his mind was doing loop-de-loops. And he wasn’t quite sure how to deal with these unexpectedly intense feelings. Hell, just holding Luke felt so good...

Then he heard a soft sound and realized Luke was crying.

"Luke?" _Oh, shit, I hurt him after all_. "What is it?" he whispered. "What’s wrong?"

"I’m sorry." Luke’s words were barely audible. "I’m so sorry..."

Han held him tighter. "Nothing to be sorry about," he said huskily, wanting to cry himself. "It’s not your fault you were drugged."

"But I... I forced you to do that to me," Luke choked out. "And you hated it, didn’t you?"

"No, I didn’t." Han gave him a squeeze for emphasis. "I loved it, Luke."

"But... how can you ever respect me again? How can you even want to look at me again, after doing that to me?"

Han kissed his hair. "You’re my friend, Luke. Like I told you, my best friend. That makes it okay. If anything, I should be apologizing to you."

Luke pulled back to look at him, genuinely surprised. "For what?"

Han wiped Luke’s face gently. "For bringing you here, of course. I should’ve known better than to go to a planet where all kinds of space riffraff hang out. And it’s my fault you were kidnapped by Boba Fett – he wanted me instead. It was also my fault he gave you that damned drug. Not to mention the fact that I forced you to share your first time with me instead of a lovely lady..."

Luke smiled, if a little tremulously. "I didn’t mind that part a bit," he said softly.

Han, warmed by the words, embraced Luke tightly again. He never wanted to leave his arms – but, he realized reluctantly, he had to; one of them would have to keep watch in case Boba Fett or his cohorts somehow found out where they were, and Luke was in no shape to do it. He pulled himself up.

"Where are you going?" Luke asked.

"Just the other room; I want to surf the computer nets awhile," Han lied. "Go to sleep, kid. I’ll wake you in the morning." He rumpled Luke’s hair – and found that even that old, familiar caress made his belly flutter. _Damn, I can’t even touch his hair without feeling trembly... what in the galaxies is wrong with me?_

"Okay. And thanks again, Han," Luke whispered. "For everything." His eyes closed, and within seconds he was asleep.

Han found his pants, pulled them on; then he went back to the main room.

And sat staring at nothing for a long time.

* * *

The next morning, shortly before dawn, Han touched Luke on the arm gently; the younger man woke at once.

"Hey, relax," Han said with a smile. "It’s just me."

Luke blinked sleepily. "Is it morning?"

"Yeah. Early though, not quite first light."

"Why’d you let me sleep all night?" Luke pulled himself out of bed.

Han tried not to notice how good Luke looked, even with his eyes still bleary from sleep and pillow marks on his face – but he noticed anyway. _It oughta be illegal to look that good in the morning_... "I thought you needed your sleep," he said. "And we couldn’t do anything until morning since the spacedock doesn’t open ‘til dawn. But we better get a move on; I’d like to get there right when the doors open." He handed Luke a pair of pants and a shirt. "Here – wear these. They belong to Marimi, but the two of you are about the same size–" Someday, he thought, he’d have to pay Marimi back for them, as well as for the night’s lodging.

Obediently Luke pulled the clothes on. "You think Boba Fett will still be looking for us?" he asked as he closed the fasteners on the shirt.

Han thought, watching Luke, that he had never seen anyone more beautiful. "Yeah, I do," he said. "Fett won’t have given up. Not with the price Jabba the Hutt is probably offering for me."

"That means he might be there – at the spacedock," Luke ventured. "Waiting for us."

"Yeah, maybe. But I’m taking a bet that Fett still thinks I’m hiding out in a brothel somewhere and won’t be ready to leave Ord Mantell yet. And if he does show, I’ve got my blaster."

"I wish I had my lightsaber," Luke said. "From now on, I’ll carry it with me all the time."

Han reflected privately that Luke’s antiquated weapon wouldn’t be much help against a money-hungry bounty hunter, but decided it wouldn’t be very tactful to say so; he knew Luke’s lightsaber meant a lot to him. After all, it was all he had of his father’s. "You ready?" he asked.

Luke nodded; then, as he gazed into Han’s eyes, looked as if he wanted to say more. Han braced himself, thinking Luke was going to thank him again for last night – but, to his relief, he didn’t.

"Let’s go", he said finally.

* * *

The spacedock looked deserted, but Han kept his blaster ready in case Fett or his men were waiting near the Falcon. As they reached the ship, he found to his relief that there was no one around. He turned back toward the spacedock doors, keeping his blaster on them.

"You get in," he told Luke, "and I’ll follow behind."

"Not so fast, Captain Solo," said a voice behind him.

Han started to whirl around, but the voice stopped him. "Freeze! Or both you and the boy will get it."

Luke, who was facing the Falcon, said quietly, "He has a blaster aimed at both of us, Han. He was hiding behind the ramp."

Feeling vulnerable as he stood there, his blaster pointed in the wrong direction and his back to the enemy, Han still managed a taut smile. "Boba Fett," he acknowledged.

"I’m pleased you remember me," Fett said, equally polite. "Now drop your weapon, back away from it and turn around to face me – but slowly."

"Don’t listen to him, Han," Luke said, his eyes still on the bounty hunter. "He won’t dare kill you – you’re too valuable to him alive."

"Perhaps," Fett said, "but you, my fine young boy, are not. And if you don’t drop your weapon immediately, Captain Solo, I’ll do to your little friend what you did to Greedo."

Han, realizing grimly that it wasn’t very likely Fett was bluffing, shrugged and dropped his blaster. Then he backed away from it and turned around to face the bounty hunter. He was an ugly sight, as usual, Han reflected; of course, the helmet and armored suit, which he wore to hide the bad scars he’d received in a space fight years before, didn’t help.

"Very good, Solo; I see you’re excellent at following instructions," Fett said and promptly fired on Han’s weapon with his own blaster, turning it into a molten, misshapen piece of metal.

Han glanced at Luke, thinking he might be able to signal his friend with his eyes that he would jump Fett while Luke made a break for the Falcon. But Luke didn’t even glance in Han’s direction; he was watching the bounty hunter.

"So." Fett said to Luke, his growly voice distinctly gloating now, "we meet again, boy. Clever of you to escape me last night – I wager Solo rescued you, although that idiot Boron told me he didn’t see either of you leave The Black Hole. And it appears as though you’ve recovered completely from the little injection I gave you as well. Did you both enjoy yourselves?"

Han fought an impulse to leap upon Fett and beat his brains in – blaster or not. "You’re just lucky you didn’t kill him, Fett," he said icily. "If you had, you’d be a dead man."

"You’re pretty cocky for a man who will shortly be at the mercy of Jabba the Hutt, Solo," Fett remarked. "Really, Captain, you should’ve known better than to show your face on any inhabited system – no matter how remote – after the way you dumped that load of spice Jabba hired you to transport. And then you had the stupidity to fry Greedo besides... Jabba took that very personally. Now let’s go." He waved his blaster toward his own small ship, the Slave One, a short distance away. "Come along quietly and I promise I won’t hurt your little boyfriend."

"You’re being a fool, Fett," Luke interjected.

Fett looked at him. "Really," he said coldly. "Perhaps you’d like to be blasted after all?"

"No, I mean you’re a fool for bothering with Han Solo when you could get much more for me."

Han shot a glance at him. "Luke, no–"

"What are you talking about?" Fett asked.

"I didn’t tell you my full name before. It’s Luke Skywalker. Perhaps you’ve heard of me."

Since Fett was wearing a helmet, there was no way of judging his facial expression, but Han thought he saw the hand holding the blaster clench a little. He wondered if Luke had caught it too.

"Not too long ago," Luke went on, voice impassive, "I destroyed the Empire’s battlestation, the Death Star. Darth Vader would give the wealth of twelve systems – far more than Jabba the Hutt would ever be able to pay you for Han Solo – just to get his hands on me, alive. If you’re smart, you’ll take me instead."

"So? And what’s to stop me from taking both of you?" Fett growled.

"I doubt that you could handle both of us," Luke said, his voice as calm as if he were discussing the weather. "Besides, if you try, we’ll fight you, and you’ll be forced to kill us. But if you leave Solo behind, I’ll come with you without a fight."

"Luke, damnit–" Han tried to intervene, but Luke stopped him with a look Han didn’t quite know how to interpret, yet he realized that Luke wanted him to keep silent.

"No – no, you have to be lying," Fett rasped. "Luke Skywalker is a great warrior. You’re only a boy."

Luke smiled. "My father was a Jedi knight," he said. "And I’ve been taught in the Jedi ways as well, as I told you last night."

Fett looked at Solo. "Is he telling the truth?" he demanded.

Han attempted a grin. "Hey, c’mon, have a brain. This skinny little kid, a Jedi? And destroyer of the Death Star? Look, Fett, you’ve got me – okay, let’s go."

"Don’t listen to him, Fett," Luke said. "You’ll never forgive yourself if you let this opportunity pass by." His voice lowered seductively, giving Han a strange sense of déjà vu; it was exactly the tone Luke had used when coaxing him to rescue Princess Leia. "Think," Luke murmured. "Think of the wealth of the Empire, Fett... and a big part of it could be yours."

After a moment’s hesitation Fett growled, "All right, I admit that if you really are Luke Skywalker, the Empire would pay a huge price for you. But what if you’re lying? Then I’d wind up with nothing."

"I’m not lying." Luke held out a hand as if in supplication. "Come on," he murmured, his voice sounding more seductive than ever. "Come to me. Come on."

The next moment, incredibly, Fett’s blaster flew through the air as if wired by invisible strings – straight into Luke’s outstretched hand.

Han was stunned. In fact, he wasn’t even sure whether to believe his eyes or not. Fett, also stunned, stared at Luke, unable to do more than stammer out, "You – you are a Jedi."

Luke grinned, not without some smugness.

"What the hell?" Han blurted at Luke. "Where did you learn to do that?"

Luke favored Solo with a brief glance. "Ben’s been teaching me the ways of the Force," he said.

"Right," Han said, secretly wishing that Luke would stop talking about Ben in the present tense; it made him nervous. They had all seen the old guy die on the Death Star – why did Luke act as if he were still alive? But he kept his thoughts to himself; hell, he wasn’t about to argue with success.

Luke faced the bounty hunter again. "Okay, Fett," he ordered. "Get into your ship."

"You are going to kill me?" Fett asked, his growly voice showing a twinge of fear.

"No. A Jedi kills only for defense. I’m just going to strand you awhile – at least long enough for us to get away."

Without a word, but his body tense with fury, the bounty hunter boarded his ship. Luke promptly blasted the hatch, sealing it shut, and after taking careful aim, blasted the hyperdrive motivator so the bounty hunter wouldn’t he able to go into light speed to follow them. Lowering the blaster, Luke looked at Han again.

"Ready to leave this place?" he asked.

"More than ready," Han said, trying not to show how impressed he was as he followed Luke into the Falcon to prepare for takeoff.

* * *

After they’d returned to the Rebel base, Han briefly, and with as little emotion as possible, told Leia and General Rieekan what had happened on Ord Mantell – omitting, of course, the love drug Luke had been given and its aftermath. Both of them were alarmed; the Princess, Han couldn’t help but notice, looked especially worried while hearing about his narrow escape from the bounty bunter. In spite of himself, the Corellian was flattered by her concern. _Not so much an icicle as you’d like people to believe, are you, Your Worship?_

Luke, however, didn’t add anything to the story as Han told it; in fact, he didn’t seem to want to talk about what had happened at all, to either Leia or Han. Well, Han thought cheerlessly, that was understandable; he probably just wanted to forget the whole embarrassing and painful episode.

After Ord Mantell, Han and Luke’s time, as well as the rest of the Rebels’, was completely taken up with the tedious, back-breaking work of evacuating to Hoth and making their base on the ice planet livable. A few members of the Alliance complained about Princess Leia working them like droids, putting up thermal portaheaters and solar reflectors and starting underground greenhouses, but Han welcomed the constant exertion. Work kept him from thinking about...

Luke. Grabbing him by the hair, yanking his head back and bruising those full lips with a hard, hard kiss. Pushing apart those firm thighs, ramming between them into the hot, tight center... and feeling himself die all over again, die and die in a nova-bright asteroid shower...

 _Damnit! Stop thinking about it. You mean nothing to Luke except as a friend_.

But he couldn’t stop thinking about it. About how good it had felt, being with Luke. And how much he wanted it to happen again.

A memory stirred. A memory of a woman Han had known in the days when he’d commanded a starship for the Empire. A woman he had loved and trusted, but who’d told on his mixed loyalties. Not only had he lost his rank and his ship, but he had been made a pariah, forced to work for Jabba the Hutt, because no one else in the galaxy would have anything to do with him. The experience had taught an embittered Han Solo never to trust again. And, definitely, never to love again.

At least, he _thought_ he’d learned that lesson, but apparently he hadn’t.

Well, there was only one solution. He’d have to leave – just as soon as he finished getting things organized here, he’d take off. At least their running into that bounty hunter on Ord Mantell gave him a good excuse – he could tell Leia and everyone else that he had to go pay off Jabba. Maybe eventually he’d forget about Luke.

But then again, maybe he wouldn’t. Maybe he never could.

After all, even starship captains weren’t always in charge of their own destinies.

* * *

Boba Fett, back in a room at The Black Hole while his ship’s hyperdrive motivator was being fixed in an overpriced service shop, paced up and down the stone floors, stewing.

He’d had him. He’d had him right in his hands, the great Captain Solo at the point of his blaster... and a life of luxury and ease within his grasp...

Until that arrogant little puppy had ruined it all. Because of him Solo had escaped and, even worse, had made a fool of him. Because of those two space renegades, Fett had had to call that idiot Boron to rescue him from his own ship, certainly one of the most humiliating experiences of his life.

Damn Luke Skywalker! And damn that tricky, two-timing swindler Han Solo too!

Well, the game wasn’t over yet. Captain Solo had managed to escape this time, but there would be a next time. Boba Fett would make sure of it.

* * *

Leia was giving a party to celebrate their successful evacuation to Hoth. The ice garden was lit with firelamps, and a huge number of exotic drinks and foodstuffs loaded the tables. Chewie was enjoying himself at the refreshment counter, Threepio and Artoo were enjoying themselves by exchanging their usual gibes, but Han, despite his efforts to get drunk, was miserable.

The Rebels had settled on Hoth, and most of the really excruciating work was over, which meant he didn’t have any more excuses to stick around. He would have to leave soon. Leave the Rebel base... and Luke.

Trying to distract himself from his thoughts, he watched Leia nursing a glass of something and talking to Rieekan in a low, earnest tone. She looked beautiful tonight, he thought, almost as beautiful as she had on Massassi when she’d decorated him and Luke for destroying the Death Star. He liked her hair that way – long and loose – and the white gown she was wearing showed off her breasts to perfection. She certainly did have lovely breasts.

_So why the hell am I looking at them and still thinking about Luke?_

He liked Leia; one might even say he was fond of her. And he knew she was attracted to him. Even though part of the reason for that, he suspected, was because he was a scoundrel and she had known so few scoundrels in her life that he was a novelty to her. He knew he could get her into bed if he worked at it.

But could she help him forget about how Luke had felt in his arms?

"Han?"

For a second Han was sure he hadn’t really heard the voice, that his fantasies of Luke were so intense, his imagination was working overtime. Then he looked up and saw Luke standing there, incredibly desirable in a pale blue wraparound shirt and form-fitting black pants – and a vulnerable expression in his space-deep blue eyes.

"Chewbacca tells me you’re leaving," he said without preliminary.

Han grunted. "Chewie’s got a big mouth. I told him to keep it quiet."

"Then it’s true?" Luke’s voice seemed to catch on the words.

"Yep. It’s way past time I paid off Jabba the Hutt."

"I thought you decided not to. You said before that after all this time you were sure he’d blast you the second he saw you, no matter how much money you paid him."

"Yeah, well, I’ve got to take that chance." _Damnit, why does he look so fucking beautiful in this light? How does he get his hair to glow like that? And his eyes... so blue_. It was bizarre. Luke was still his friend, his best friend, but he was also a man Han wanted desperately to make love to. In every way imaginable...

"Does Leia know?" Luke asked.

"Does Leia know what?"

Luke looked a little exasperated. "That you’re leaving, of course."

"No, she doesn’t, and I don’t intend to tell her either, not ‘til I get ready to blast off. I’d appreciate your keeping your mouth shut about it too, by the way. The last thing I need is a lot of female wailing and nagging."

Luke looked at Han in silence for a moment. Then he said, "It’s because of me, isn’t it?"

"Is what because of you?" Han hedged.

"Your leaving us. It’s because you’re embarrassed about what happened on Ord Mantell."

"Come on, kid," Han evaded. "Since when do I ever get embarrassed by anything?" It was true, he thought morosely. He wasn’t embarrassed at all by the memory of what had happened on Ord Mantell. In fact, embarrassment was the last thing that came to mind when he remembered Ord Mantell.

"Maybe you feel guilty then."

"I never feel guilty about anything either."

"Then why won’t you even look at me? Or talk to me?" Luke burst out. "We used to be friends – I thought we still were."

Han, who had been staring into his empty glass, looked up at him. "Okay, okay," he said with irritation. "I’m looking at you now – happy? And to answer your question, no, I’m not leaving Hoth because of you. I’m leaving because I’ve got to pay off Jabba the Hutt – that is, unless I want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder with my blaster cocked."

"Well, I think you’re lying, Han. I think you’re leaving Hoth because of Ord Mantell and what happened between us."

Han was annoyed; it was humiliating to have your mind read so flawlessly, especially by some ignorant farm boy from Tatooine. "Don’t flatter yourself, junior," he said brusquely, turning away. "I’ve practically forgotten it already."

He could swear he could feel Luke’s eyes boring into his back. When he heard footsteps quietly retreating, Han looked up quickly, but Luke had already left the party.

To his chagrin, he spotted Chewie standing nearby, gazing at him with concern on his furry face. _Shit, he probably heard everything_. "What are you starin’ at, Fuzzball?" Han demanded irritably. "And, by the way, what did you mean by telling Luke I was leaving? I told you to keep it quiet. Although I guess asking a Wookiee to keep a secret is asking the impossible."

Chewie just went on looking at him, as if debating what to say. Finally he decided to say nothing – a rare circumstance – and lumbered off to help himself to more refreshments.

Han thought of having another drink as well, then decided against it; he was already feeling a little woozy. What he really wanted to do was leave the party just as Luke had. Well, hell, why shouldn’t he? This gathering was a real bore anyway. He put down his glass and headed towards the doors to the spacedock.

Chewie, seeing him leave, gave him a questioning bark, but Han just snapped at him, "I’m fine. I’m just tired of all this yakking, that’s all. I’m going to bed."

Chewie didn’t protest further, nor did anyone else; in fact, no one – including Leia – seemed to even notice he was leaving. _Probably nobody’ll notice when I leave Hoth either_ , Han thought as he left the ice garden, feeling very lonely and sorry for himself. A night’s sleep on the Falcon would do him good. Being in his ship always cheered him up; it was the only home he’d ever really known.

And the one lover who’d never let him down.

* * *

He walked into the back of his darkened ship and flicked on the sensor lights – and almost jumped out of his skin when he saw Luke sitting on the bed, calmly waiting for him.

"Luke!" he blurted.

Luke didn’t smile. "Hi, Han."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Han demanded, wishing he hadn’t had so much to drink so he could think more clearly.

"I wanted to talk with you. And since you didn’t want to talk at the party, I thought you might find it easier in private." Luke stood up, and Han noticed he was no longer wearing the pants and shirt he’d worn earlier, but a long brown robe. For a split second Han thought, half-whimsically, that he looked a little like Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Okay," he said jauntily. "So talk. But don’t expect me to say anything back – I’m too drunk." He walked over to his closet and, leaning against the wall for support, pulled off his boots.

"Han – I’m worried about us."

Han raised his eyebrows. "Us?"

"Yes. About our friendship."

In spite of himself, the sadness in Luke’s voice reached him. "What about it?"

"I still think that you feel uncomfortable with me because of what happened on Ord Mantell. And I want to make things right between us again – now, before you leave Hoth." 

"Yeah? Like how?"

Luke didn’t answer in words. Instead, he reached up and untied the knot at the neck of his robe. It fell to his feet.

He was wearing nothing under it.

Han stared at him.

Luke, undaunted by Han’s look, walked up to him. "Come to bed, Han," he said quietly.

Han tried to pull himself together; as inebriated as he was, it wasn’t easy. _Damnit – why the hell did I drink so much?_ "What are you – crazy?" he demanded.

Luke didn’t look offended. "Maybe," he said. "After all, you once said that love was like a madness." He reached up, stroked Han’s face. "You said on Ord Mantell that I was your best friend. Well, you’re my best friend too. I don’t want us to be uncomfortable with each other for the rest of our lives, which we will be if we don’t do something to resolve this. And I think if we make love now, when we haven’t been forced to do it by some drug, then all the guilt and embarrassment will disappear and everything between us will be okay again. Will you?"

Han wanted to pull away, to say he wasn’t interested, but he couldn’t deny that Luke’s caress felt damned good. And hell, maybe the kid was right; maybe the only way to cure his obsession with Luke – which was, after all, the source of the discomfort Han felt around him – was to be with him again. He sure as hell wanted Luke, and even when sober, Han wasn’t what anyone could call overly-endowed with self-control. "Okay, kid," he said, trying to sound blithe. "A goodbye fuck – sounds like just my speed."

A faint look of hurt flashed in Luke’s eyes, but only for a second. His hand dropped from Han’s face and he walked over to the bed, climbed in under the bedclothes. Han promptly stripped off the rest of his clothing and climbed in next to him. Pulling the younger man into his arms, Han kissed him roughly.

Luke, to his surprise, didn’t protest the brusque treatment but kissed Han back with equal fervor, his arms locking around Han’s neck, his lips sweet-tasting against Han’s mouth. Then he moved his tongue into Han’s mouth, moved it around and around – slowly, sensually.

Han felt his breath start to come in short, ragged pants. It hit him for the third time – the first time had been at the destruction of the Death Star, the second when Luke had overpowered Boba Fett at the spacedock at Ord Mantell – that Luke, young as he was, was not a boy. He was a man, with a man’s feelings and a man’s needs. "Ah, Luke," he moaned.

Luke’s hands moved down Han’s body, stroking his back, then his butt. Han shivered in suddenly urgent need at the caress. All the feelings he’d tried to bury since Ord Mantell hit him now with the force of a laser blast. He loved Luke; he couldn’t deny it any longer. He loved him and he needed him.

He kissed him once again, plunging his tongue deep into Luke’s mouth, tasting him hungrily. As he held him tight, he felt Luke’s erection press against him – just as his own erection pressed against Luke’s body. The contact felt so good he thought, for a few seconds, that he would die of ecstasy.

He thrust, then thrust again, creating a delicious friction. Luke promptly wrapped his legs around Han’s, pushing back, and within seconds they were both ramming hard, whispering each other’s names, kissing each other’s faces, hands moving all over each other as if neither of them could get enough of the other...

With a panting moan, Luke reached orgasm, shuddering in Han’s arms, his semen spurting against Han’s belly. Han, staring into his face, almost forgot his own pleasure in his eagerness to savor Luke’s. _He looks so beautiful when he’s coming_...

Then, very slowly, Luke’s eyes opened, and he blinked his long, gold lashes several times. "Han," he murmured. His hair was sticking to his forehead in sweat-damp spikes. "What’s the matter? Why’d you stop?"

"Just wanted to... to watch you," Han said, feeling a little embarrassed.

Luke smiled lazily. "Did I make a funny face?" he asked.

Han kissed his forehead. "Not funny at all," he assured him. "You’re gorgeous."

Luke was still smiling. "And you’re drunk," he teased.

"Drunk with you," Han said. He caressed Luke’s butt, remembering how it’d been on Ord Mantell...

Luke, reading his mind, murmured, "You can go inside me again, if you want."

Han blinked at him. "What? But you hated it..."

"No, I didn’t," Luke denied. "I hated being in so much pain, I hated needing you so much – but I didn’t hate what you did to me. Do you want to go inside me again?"

Han felt himself tremble with desire, but reluctantly shook his head. "Luke... I can’t. I... I’m drunk. And I’m right on the edge. There’s no way I could do it right." Then a thought occurred to him. "But you can do it to me if you want."

Luke looked almost shocked. "You – you’d let me do that?"

Han nodded. "Sure. I’ve done it before with guys, so you wouldn’t hurt me. Do you want to?" Suddenly, feeling Luke inside him was something he wanted more than anything in the galaxy. Han noticed that Luke’s penis was getting hard again, despite the fact that he’d just had an orgasm moments before – not surprising for someone of Luke’s youth.

"Yeah, I do want to," Luke said huskily. "If – if you’re sure."

"Corellians are always sure." Han flashed a grin and fished out a tube of lubricant from under the bed. "Here, put this on yourself."

With hands that were not quite steady, Luke put a liberal amount of the gel on his now-rigid erection. Watching him play with himself nearly drove Han over the edge, and he had to use all his willpower to keep himself from coming prematurely.

"Hurry," he whispered hoarsely. "I can’t last much longer."

Luke put down the lubricant. "What do I do now?" he asked, his voice husky as well.

"Just – climb on top of me. Move your arms under my legs so they’re around your shoulders; that way we can do it face to face."

Swiftly Luke obeyed. Han, feeling Luke’s strong body against his, again almost lost it. Luke was going to take possession of him. It seemed almost too wonderful to be true.

"Now push," he whispered. "Push hard."

Luke thrust, but only the very tip pushed in.

"Harder," Han gasped.

"I – I don’t want to be too rough," Luke protested, his breath coming in short gasps now.

"Don’t worry. I told you, I’ve done this before – you won’t hurt me. Hurry, damnit!"

Luke tried again, this time with a little more force. Han gasped, and clung to Luke’s shoulders as he felt himself being entered.

"Ah..." he whispered. "Luke... baby..."

"Like this?" Luke murmured.

"Uh-huh." Han bit his lip, but the feelings promptly overwhelmed him. "Luke," he cried out and felt himself explode against Luke’s belly, all over both of them.

"Han..." Luke’s voice was a choked murmur as, the next moment, he came too, his semen spurting deep inside Han. The feeling was the sweetest Han had ever known.

Then they both fell apart, panting, exhausted.

"Ah, Luke... you’re fantastic," Han finally managed to say. "Being with you is like going into lightspeed... without a ship."

Too late, he realized what he’d said – that he’d as good as told Luke he wanted there to be a next time. He held his breath, hoping Luke hadn’t caught it, but of course he had. "Are you saying that you want this to happen again?" Luke asked.

Han tried to think of something to say that wouldn’t be a lie – but wouldn’t be the truth either. Luke, sensing his indecision, gave him a reassuring hug.

"It’s okay, Han. I won’t hold you to it. I’ll even forget what you said, if you want."

"Maybe I don’t want you to forget it," Han heard himself say. "And yeah, I do want it to happen again. Do you?"

"Yes," Luke whispered. "I do. You – you’re everything to me, Han. More than anyone else has ever been. I know that sounds dumb—"

"It doesn’t sound dumb at all." Han stroked Luke’s sweat-damp hair back from his face.

After a moment Luke ventured: "What about Leia, Han? I know you like her."

"You like her too."

"Yes, but not the way you do. I feel – I don’t know – close to her, but I don’t want to marry her or anything like that. But you do."

Han, realizing that Luke was using "marry" as a euphemism for having sex, smiled. "Okay, I like her," he admitted. "But I don’t want to think about that now."

Luke smiled back. "Are you still going to leave?" he asked a little wistfully.

Reluctantly Han nodded. "I don’t want to, but I’ve got to. I really should get Jabba off my back soon before another bounty bunter brings trouble on you again – or maybe on this whole base if someone finds out where I am."

"When are you going?"

That, Han reflected, was the kind of lover to have – one who didn’t bother to argue when you said what you were going to do; just asked "When?"

"Well, I promised Her Worship I’d go out and put some sensors around the compound, maybe take some life readings too, just as a precaution," he said. "I’ll have to do it on a Tauntaun rather than taking a speeder, so it’ll probably take most of tomorrow. I’ll leave after that."

"I’ll help," Luke offered. "I mean with the sensors and the readings. The sooner you leave, the sooner you’ll be back. You will come back, won’t you?"

"You’re damned right I will."

Luke kissed him, and Han, warmth flooding him at the affectionate caress, kissed him back. _Damn, he tastes so good. It’s as if that drug Fett shot him with gave me the bloodfire too... hell, maybe it did_.

Luke’s hands stroked Han’s butt. "You have a beautiful ass."

"And you’re crazy," Han said huskily. "But keep talking."

"You have a beautiful back... beautiful shoulders... a beautiful chest..." Luke’s hands caressed each part as he named them off. "And a beautiful penis," he finished softly, taking Han’s partially-swollen member into his hand.

"Ah! Watch it, kid. I’m drunk, and besides I’ve already shot my blaster for the evening."

Luke grinned. "Looks like someone doesn’t agree with you." He caressed Han again.

"You think that’s an erection? Well, it’s not. Corellians are always like that. Come on, Luke. Cut it out."

"If you insist." Luke released him.

"Luke..." Han hesitated, not sure how to ask.

"Yes, Han?" Luke asked, when Han said nothing more.

"I just wondered... well, you didn’t use any of that Force stuff on me, did you? To get me into bed." Han felt embarrassed. "I know... well, that friend of yours, Kenobi, I know he could do tricks like that. And you did manage to get Boba Fett’s blaster without any problem too."

Luke laughed. "You mean mind-control?" he asked. "No, that only works with the weak-minded. You definitely wouldn’t qualify. Besides, you’re my friend. I wouldn’t do that to a friend."

Han wished Luke wouldn’t talk so much about their "friendship" when he felt so much more than that. But what the hell, friendship was valuable too. "You’re my friend too, Luke," he said. "And always will be – no matter what."

Luke snuggled against him, and Han automatically tightened their embrace. Maybe Luke didn’t feel as intensely as Han did – but he did love him. Although Han realized their future might be a rocky one – at least until the Empire had been overthrown – he felt, for the moment, happy. Content.

No matter what happened, he and Luke would always have each other.

* * *

Standing on the deck of the stately Imperial vessel, Boba Fett glanced at his fellow bounty hunters: Bossk, Zuckuss, Dengar, IG-88, the droid. One of them would be given Han Solo when the Empire caught up with the Rebels, to collect Jabba the Hutt’s lucrative reward... only one. But Fett felt no apprehension that he would fail to be that one. He had something Vader wanted, and he knew it.

When finally allowed to speak with the Sith Knight alone in his chambers, Boba Fett faced him without fear.

"Lord Vader," he said, his low, growly voice respectful, "I have a suggestion as to how you can catch the Son of Skywalker – and alive. Without even fighting a battle. In fact, I can make him come to you."

The hiss of Vader’s respirator rasped in the silence as he gazed at Fett through his mask. Then he spoke one cold, expressionless word. "How?"

"Swear to me, by the Dark Force that you serve, that you will allow me to take Han Solo to Jabba the Hutt after you’re through with him."

"I swear on all I hold dear, bounty hunter." Was there a faint tinge of irony in the machine-like voice? "Now," Vader went on, this time in a slightly threatening tone, "tell me how to get Luke Skywalker."

Fett felt a droplet of sweat, ice-cold, trickle down his back; he wasn’t quite sure why. Somehow he managed to force his words past suddenly-dry lips.

"Capture Han Solo," he said. "That shouldn’t be difficult – his ship, the Millennium Falcon, is easy to recognize – it’s the ugliest piece of junk in the galaxy. Then hold him – not here, but on a planet somewhere, and torture him. Skywalker will come to save him, and then the boy will be all yours."

"Interesting suggestion, bounty bunter. But Skywalker is not a fool. He would consider any message a trap."

"It won’t matter if he thinks it’s a trap, not if he knows you really have Solo. And he will know, because he has Jedi powers – and from what I understand, Jedi Knights are telepathically bonded to their families and their... mates. If you torture Solo, Skywalker, as a Jedi, will feel it even across half a galaxy."

Vader’s voice sharpened perceptibly. "Are you saying Solo and Skywalker are – mated?"

"Yes, Lord Vader. A short time ago, I stopped at Ord Mantell to get supplies for my humble ship, the Slave One, and saw the two of them there, drinking at a local brothel. Skywalker took an aphrodisiac; I saw it administered myself. The drug is called bloodfire – perhaps you’ve heard of it."

Vader didn’t answer in words, but Fett thought he heard a faint growl coming from the black helmet. Hastily the bounty bunter continued, "In any case, it requires acute and prolonged sexual stimulation in order to relieve the partaker, and such stimulation cannot be achieved through masturbation. He didn’t go to a brothel, I and my men searched them all, and found neither Skywalker nor Solo in any of them. Yet the next morning I saw Skywalker and he was showing no signs of discomfort whatsoever. The only explanation is that Solo and Skywalker are lovers."

"Interesting." The dark voice was expressionless. "But hardly conclusive."

"No, but their behavior that morning was, Lord Vader. When I attempted to arrest Captain Solo to take him to Jabba the Hutt, Skywalker tried to persuade me to take him instead, to save Solo’s life – and, at the same time, Solo offered to go with me if I would leave Skywalker behind. They both were willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the other. Regrettably, they escaped me by means of a Jedi trick – but not before I had learned their weakness. A man in my profession always must be alert to his enemy’s weakness, Lord Vader. Luke Skywalker and Han Solo are both strong, skilled, dangerous men – but their weakness is each other."

The Dark Knight was silent, and Boba Fett began to sweat even more under his armored suit, wondering if Vader could understand an emotion such as love. But he must. He had been human once, hadn’t he? True, it had been a long time ago, but...

"Very well, Captain Fett." There was a trace of respect in the voice now. "I will follow your suggestion. And after Luke Skywalker is safe in my hands, Han Solo will be yours... to do with as you please."

Vader’s acquiescence should have pleased Fett. For some reason, however, the words gave the bounty hunter a feeling of cold horror, as if he had just stumbled into a Gundark pit and couldn’t get out. He tried not to think of the ancient Jedi superstition that anyone who dealt with those of the Dark Side must always pay a dark price.

He bowed and once again looked into the face which had, long ago, ceased being a face. "Thank you, Lord Vader," he said.

* * * * *

**Author's Note:**

> This story has been altered slightly from the original version, to agree with the Special Edition of _Star Wars – A New Hope_ , which had not been released at the time this story was originally written.


End file.
